ASPA-FTV 2036: The Future is Now

The future is now. The future is not yet written. What will life be like in twenty years?

These are the questions and expressions tackled by The Australian School of Performing Arts, Film and Television in their end-of-year production 2036: The Future is Now, performed at Cremorne Theatre in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

On Saturday November 12th, forty-five students will bring three original plays to the audience, inspired by the frustration and pressure faced by today’s youth to make decisions about their future.

The School spares no detail for their end-of-year performance, from the lighting of the stage to the placement of the students when the director yells “action.”

The theme of the performance is decided the previous year, giving students in the Creative Theatre Production Course time to work with their teachers, write a storyline and a script and make props.

While the question of what the future would hold for the students was important, ASPA co-founder Amanda Hardwicke says that harnessing the creative talent in the children is the School’s priority, and that giving them a professional platform at QPAC is a major part of their development as actors.

“The school treats the students the way a coach trains an elite athlete,” Nicole explained during Friday rehearsal “We wanted to present them with a concept that would challenge them.”

When asked about what she would like the audience to get out of the plays, Amanda was forward “It would be great if the production started a dialogue about what’s going on in the world and how it needs to change, but foremost we want the audience to be entertained. That is our priority.”

As is a sense of pride; family and friends will pack the theatre on the night to see ASPA’s students perform.

The Future is Now is bringing larger than life stories to a small theatre; post-apocalyptic rebuilding, fighting a caste system based on genetics and “making the right decisions to create a perfect future” are the base stories of the three plays in the program. This is preceded by a video of the students talking about what they imagined life to be like in 2036; flying cars, marriage and children were common talking points, but this was poignantly interspersed with hopes for peace and a better environment for their families. Nicole aptly describe the production in one sentence;

“It’s about reclaiming the power for now to bring hope to the future.”

Words by Jess McMillan

Image by 2036: The Future is Now

Details: 2036: The Future is Now | Australian School of Performing Arts, Film and Television | November 12th 2016 | Cremorne Theatre, QPAC